Baby Love
by surugasasa
Summary: Two years ago, she left for Osaka. Now, she's back and that's not all she brought back. How will the silver haired trickster react when he realizes he has a child with the girl who he screwed over for some thousand yen?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Corner**

**Sasa:** Hello! Please welcome my new OC Sakurai Aika!

**Aika:** Hi...umm I am 14...and uhh... *-*

**Sasa: **Err...*pushes Aika to the side* She needs to get checked up...so umm let's go!

**Aika:** Don't forget Sasa does not own Prince of Tennis only the plot of this story...

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

_Two Years Ago _

_o-o-o-o-o_

_"Hey...I bet you wouldn't be able to hook up with that..." The tall boy grinned as he pointed at a tiny brunette with violet colored eyes. _

_The silver haired boy's eyes glinted in the sun. _

_"Puri." _

_"6000 yen." _

_"...piyo..." _

_"Oi, Niou...are you seriously...?" The redhead boy whispered. _

_The Brazilian boy placed an arm on his partner's shoulder. _

_The redhead looked at him. _

_The dark skinned boy shook his head. _

_The redhead frowned. _

_Both boys along with their senpai watched the trickster make his way over to the oblivious girl. _

_They watched the boy pluck a green leaf out of the girl's hair. The girl who looked very cute from the distance blushed before she smiled at the silver haired boy. They looked as Niou raised his hand and caressed her cheek while the girl slowly shifted herself away from him out of embarrassment. Niou grinned before he held out his hand to her. _

_"Niou Masaharu," The trickster drawled out with a Cheshire grin. _

_The innocent girl smiled shyly at him as she reached out her own hand. _

_"Sakurai Aika." _

_The two smiled at each other as a gentle breeze blew over them, making the trees sway back and forth. _

_"Not bad," Niou's senpai remarked with an arched eyebrow as he watched Niou lead the girl away while making a peace sign with his hand behind his back to signal to his friends that he was going in for it. _

_o-o-o-o-o_

_A Few Months Later_

_o-o-o-o-o_

_"D-Don't..." _

_The tiny brunette twisted and turned her body in an attempt to get out from under the silver haired boy. _

_"I'll be gentle," The boy whispered as he rubbed soothing circles on the girl's back. _

_"..." _

_The girl stopped struggling and looked at him in the eyes. The two stared at each other in silence..._

_"...ah, it hurts!" _

_Tears slipped from the brunette's closed violet eyes as her hands were clutched together over her bare chest as her light brown hair was fanned out under her. Against the stark white satin sheets, her hair stood out darkly while her extremely light skin glistened in the dimly lit room. _

_"Sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you..." _

_Aika's tearful violet eyes opened and gazed at the boy's sincere eyes. _

_She couldn't recall how this happened...She knew this wasn't right...right? Her mother always told her to save herself for marriage...What if...what if...she got..._

_Her thoughts drifted away as the boy above her began to plow softly into her body. _

_o-o-o-o-o_

_Aika looked at the red ink stain on her locker with a look akin to horror on her face. _

_In bright red ink, the word "whore" was written in capital letters across her locker._

_Her legs trembled for a few minutes before they gave out and she fell to the ground. _

_Her classmates rushed to her side. _

_"Sakurai-san! Are you okay?" _

_"Aika-chan! Aika-chan!" _

_"You okay?" _

_Aika wept as she shook her head repeatedly. _

_How could this happen? It was supposed to be a secret...wasn't it?_

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Present**

_o-o-o-o-o_

_Ring. Ring. Ring. _

"Hello?" Terumi Miwa answered her cell phone as she placed her book onto her desk in her plain room.

"Miwa-chan?" A soft voice whispered on the other line.

Miwa froze as she heard the other person speak.

_o-o-o-o-o_

_The brown haired girl looked at her feet as the silver haired boy shuffled over to her. _

_"What is it?" _

_"..."_

_He sighed as a hand massaged his scalp. _

_"Look...if you don't have anything to say...I gotta go to practice..." _

_She moved and tugged his yellow jersey. _

_"Niou-kun...I-I..." _

_"Haru-kun!" A loud and obnoxious voice called out. _

_Both looked at the girl who approached. She had dark blue eye shadow on her eyelids, pink cheeks, and bright red lips. To some, she looked attractive with all that makeup...to others (like Sasa), she looked like a clown with all of that makeup on her face. _

_The new girl sneered at Aika before tugging Niou to her side. _

_"Let's go." _

_She smirked at the heartbroken Aika before tugging Niou away with her. _

_Her smirk widened when she realized Niou did not look back either. _

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Present**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"Is this really you, Aika-chan?" Miwa shouted in the phone.

"Yes," Aika said as she smiled. She could imagine Miwa jumping up and down right about now.

"It's been two years!" Miwa said as she plopped down onto her bed, making a loud thumping sound.

"Mmh..."

"So...how's it been?"

"I-I...I'm moving back to Tokyo next week..."

Miwa's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"YAY!"

_o-o-o-o-o_

_"Mama...I-I..."  
_

_"Aika...a-are you..." _

_The brunette slowly nodded as her mother shook her head left and right in horror._

_"No...no..." She fell to the floor. _

_Aika rushed over to her mother who started to cry. _

_"How can my baby be having a baby?!"_

_o-o-o-o-o_

_"Miwa-chan, thank you..." _

_"Thank you for what?" _

_Aika smiled. _

_"For being my friend."_

_"Mmh." _

_"You know...I am leaving Kanagawa tomorrow..."_

_"Eh? Why? Is it because..." _

_Aika smiled sadly as she nodded. _

_"Where are you going?" _

_Aika stood up. _

_She turned back to look at Miwa. _

_"Osaka." _

_o-o-o-o-o_

**_Present_**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"How's school?" Miwa asked Aika. She knew that her best friend had to take some time off school two years ago. Besides, school was an important topic to them. It was like shopping.

"Mm...it's been good...I studied a lot so I was able to remain in my original age group, so don't worry Miwa-chan...I am going to graduate from middle school this year," Aika said to her friend while chuckling.

"Yay! So which school will you be attending?"

"Mum said that she would like to put me in Seishun Academy since it's closer to our new house."

"Aww...too bad we can't go to the same school..." Miwa whined.

"It's okay...we can still hang out..."

"True! True! Plus I can get my cousin Tomoka to show you around...she's a first year..."

"Okay! Thanks Miwa-chan!"

"You're welcome!"

"See you soon!"

The two girls hung up on each other.

"AIKA! WE'RE HOME!"

The brunette jumped up and ran down the stairs.

"Hi, mum," The 14 year old greeted her mum.

Her mum hugged her and kissed her cheek.

"Look who's excited to see you..."

Aika's mother, Chiaki, moved to the side.

Aika's eyes lit up as she saw the tiny brown haired girl with curly locks and sparkling blue eyes.

"Haruka!"

The toddler grinned before jumping at her mother.

"Mama! I miss you a lot!"

Aika pat her baby's back as she kissed her daughter's forehead.

"I missed you, too, Haru..."

* * *

**Good/Bad place to start? **

**I imagine Niou as a playboy who likes to toy with girls' feelings...yet I always wondered how was he before he turned into a man whore...Before he became a player, he must have been a good guy once...or twice, I would like to think haha...let's see how this plays out. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Sasa: **Thank you to all the readers for reading this story!

**Aika:** Yes...I hope that you all enjoy Sasa's story... ^_^

**Haruka: **Me too! :3

*I do not own Prince of Tennis*

* * *

**Sakurai Household**

"So what did you do today, honey?" Aika asked her daughter as she stirred the miso soup while her mother chopped the vegetables on her left side.

Haruka hummed to herself as she drew random things in her large sketchbook.

"Mm...Grammy took me to store...I got strawberry ice cream..." Haruka said as she continued to focus on coloring in the shapes that she drew.

Aika chuckled as she turned around to look at her daughter. To her, Haruka looked absolutely adorable with that tight knit frown on her face with her bottom lip jutting out as she bit it in concentration.

"I see," Aika said with a small chuckle which she disguised as a cough.

Haruka frowned.

"Mommy...no make fun of me..."

"Sorry, baby!" Aika laughed.

Chiaki smiled gently at her daughter and her grand-daughter.

"Mm...why you laughing...at me?"

Aika continued to laugh as she saw the bewildered look on her child's face.

Aika and her mother quickly finished cooking and set up the table with rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and tossed salad.

"So, tomorrow we will be leaving here around 8 am," Chiaki said as she grabbed a piece of fish with her chopsticks.

"Okay," Aika said as she chewed on her rice.

"Mmh," Haruka bobbed her head.

"Did you two pack everything?" Chiaki asked the two girls.

"Yup."

"Hai!"

"Good."

Chiaki smiled at her two girls and sighed as she thought of how she wished her late husband was here with them.

Later that night, Aika and her two year old daughter were bathing together.

As Aika gently scrubbed her baby's long curly locks, Haruka hummed Ave Maria softly.

"Time to rinse," Aika announced as she slowly poured warm water over Haruka who closed her eyes.

"Mama..."

"Yes?"

"Where's daddy?"

Aika froze.

"W-Why?"

"..."

"Honey...you never...asked me before...did something happen?"

Aika picked up Haruka and turned her around when she did not reply.

"What's wrong?"

Haruka looked up at her mother with shimmering blue eyes that threatened to tear up.

"Sai-kun say I bad...that's why my daddy no want me..."

Aika bit her bottom lip as she felt her heart tearing.

"Haru...your daddy loves you a lot..."

"Why he not here then?" Haruka bit out painfully.

"Your daddy..." Aika whispered as she caressed her baby's face. "...is far, far away..."

"Far, far, far away? Like fairy tale land?" Haruka asked as she tilted her head to the side cutely.

Aika chuckled despite feeling her eyes tear up. "Yes."

"When he come back?" Haruka asked curiously.

Aika smiled sadly.

"I don't know," She answered honestly.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Kanagawa Prefecture**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"Tomorrow come to practice early!" Sanada hollered at the Rikkai tennis regulars.

Yanagi did nothing but walk to the club room.

"Hai, hai..." Marui muttered as he shook his head to clear his ears of Sanada's loud voice.

Jackal sighed.

"Yes, Sanada-fukubuchou!" Akaya said as he grabbed his tennis bag.

"Of course...punctuality is important, after all," Yagyuu said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Puri," Niou said with a grin.

Yukimura merely smiled at his team.

"Oi, Niou! Let's go to the arcade!" Marui said as he popped a lollipop into his mouth.

Jackal stood beside him.

"Yeah! Come with us, Niou-sempai!" Akaya urged him excitedly.

Niou grinned.

"Che...sorry."

"Awww...why?" Akaya whined.

Niou flicked his forehead.

"Got something to do at home."

"That's fine then, Niou. Be safe," Jackal bade as he walked off with Marui and Akaya.

"Ah," Niou said, throwing a hand in the air to signal goodbye.

Walking out Rikkai's gates, Niou saw Terumi Miwa, a fellow third year student who also played tennis.

"Terumi," Niou said.

"Niou," Terumi said.

Silence soon followed after the two's acknowledgement of each other.

An irk mark appeared on Terumi's forehead as Niou moved closer to her.

She exploded when Niou blew into her ear.

Her skin tingled as the trickster's warm breath made contact with her ear.

She moved to punch the silver haired teen who moved away from her.

Miwa glared at Niou with disgust.

"Get away from me, you bastard!"

Niou smirked playfully.

He finally got under her skin after two and a half years.

"Te-ru-mi...I finally got you," He whispered softly with a mischievous grin.

Miwa reared her hand back and slapped Niou across the face before she stomped away.

Niou's grin stayed on his face as she walked away. When she was out of sight, his hand rubbed his face softly. This moment...it seemed so familiar when that girl - whatever her name was - slapped him for leaving her for someone else...Che...it wasn't like he was committed to her...or anyone else in the first place. Still...now that he thought of it...there was only one girl who did not explode on him and slap him or cry on him or anything...she just disappeared like the wind.

Niou shrugged. Oh well...time to get home to greet his big sister...

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Osaka**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"Ready?" Chiaki asked Aika who held onto her young daughter tightly as the little one was sleeping.

Aika nodded solemnly as she looked at the house she lived in for two years. This was her safe house...it was her home, it was a place full of memories...the place where her daughter was born.

"Don't worry," Chiaki reassured her daughter. "This is still our house...I just bought the other one...so whenever we come back to Osaka, we can come stay here."

Aika smiled her gentle and kind mother. Her mother who gave up everything to save her and Haruka.

"Thank you, mama."

Chiaki smiled at her daughter before ushering her into the taxi which had their clothes and other things since the house in Tokyo already had their other belongings.

They did not see the yellow and green jerseys making their way to the Sakurai house that was being left behind.

"Are you sure you're okay with not saying goodbye to your friends?" Chiaki asked Aika in the car.

Aika smiled sadly as she thought of all of her "friends" at Shitenhouji.

"Yeah...they probably wouldn't care anyway," She whispered as she gently pat her baby's head.

"If you're sure then."

"I am, Mama...thank you..." Aika said. "Besides..."

Chiaki glanced at her daughter.

"I can't wait to see Miwa-chan again and introduce Haru to her," Aika smiled as she thought of her dear friend.

* * *

**Who will the other man in Aika's life be? Take a guess!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Corner: **

**Sasa:** Thanks to all the readers who followed, put this story on their favorite list, and read this story. I am very happy!

**Aika:** Today...well...err...

**Sasa:** No spoilers! That's my job!

**Aika:** Urr...sorry boss!

**Sasa:** Ha ha! That's right - **I** am the boss! _Mwahahaha..._

**Aika:** ^-^'

**Sasa:** Let's begin!

*I do not own Prince of Tennis*

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

_Seishun Academy_

_o-o-o-o-o_

"Sakunoooo!" A brown haired girl with twin pigtails shouted out as she raced down the hall.

A couple of the students in the hall glanced at her when they looked up to see who was out and about screaming so loudly on a Monday morning. They eyed her weirdly. Did something happen with Echizen?

Ryuzaki Sakuno, grand daughter of Ryuzaki Sumire, turned around as she heard her best friend's call.

"Hai, Tomo-chan?" She asked curiously. Did something happen with Ryoma-kun?

Tomoka panted as she struggled to catch her breath.

_Huff. Huff. Huff. _

"Let's...go..."

Sakuno blinked.

"Go where?"

"...to...the front gate..." Tomoka breathed out as she tried to slow her heart rate.

"Eh? Why?"

"My cousin Miwa-chan has a friend coming here...she's new so she'll need a guide..." Tomoka explained as she gestured for Sakuno to get up and go.

"Really?"

Tomoka nodded.

"Yup. Her name is Sakurai Aika. She's going to be a third year."

"Eh?"

"Uh huh!"

Sakuno sighed knowing it was hopeless for her to fight against her friend when she was on fire.

"Okay!" Sakuno packed her things and placed them into her bag before walking off with Tomoka to the front gate.

Tomoka grinned as she walked toward the gate with Sakuno at her side.

Horio, Kachiro, and Katsuo stared at Tomoka weirdly as she walked past them with Sakuno.

Did something happen with Ryoma?

Outside the front gate, Tomoka and Sakuno stood awkwardly. Tomoka was tapping her feet against the ground while Sakuno was picking at her hair.

"Umm...Tomo-chan..."

"Yes, Sakuno?"

"Is she here yet?"

"Hmm..." Tomoka muttered as she looked left and right.

"I..." She squinted her eyes. "I...don't..."

Then, she saw a flash of brilliant golden brown hair.

"There!"

She pointed toward a thin and slender figure moving toward them.

Sakuno looked in the direction and gasped.

Walking toward them was a pretty nee-san with shining light brown hair and big violet eyes.

She smiled at the two girls who had their mouths open like fish out of water.

"Err...Osakada Tomoka?" She asked slowly.

Tomoka nodded vigorously after knocking herself out of her trance.

"Yes!"

Aika smiled at the two ichinen girls.

"This is my friend Ryuzaki Sakuno," Tomoka said as she pointed at Sakuno who blushed and bowed to her senpai.

"I am Osakada Tomoka."

Aika's smile did not falter as she glanced at the two girls.

"Hello, Sakuno-chan...Tomoka-chan..."

The two first years blushed.

Aika blinked.

"Ehh...is that too uncomfortable for you two?"

Both girls flushed before raising their hands and trying to tell the older girl it was alright to call them Sakuno-chan and Tomoka-chan.

"Are you sure?" Aika asked again.

They nodded before the three girls smiled at each other.

Aika bowed to the two first year girls.

"Please take good care of me!"

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

_Later _

_o-o-o-o-o_

"Aika-senpai, what's your homeroom class?" Sakuno asked the taller girl.

"3-6," Aika said as she looked at the slip of paper that the secretary from the office gave her.

"Oh! That's Fuji-sempai and Eiji-sempai's homeroom!" Tomoka pointed out excitedly.

"Mmh," Sakuno nodded.

"Let's introduce you during tennis practice today!" Tomoka suggested as she grinned at the older girl.

Aika nodded her head with a smile.

"Okay."

Inside a classroom from the second floor, the ichinen trio pointed at the three girls to Ryoma and Momoshiro.

"...so...we thought something happened to you Echizen..." Horio said.

"But it was nothing, because Osakada was just showing around a new girl," Kachiro added.

"Yup," Katsuo said.

"Hmm..." Momo muttered as he looked at the girl from the window.

"What is it, Momo-sempai?" Ryoma asked his upperclassman.

"She's cute," Momo grinned at his underclassman.

Ryoma rolled his eyes.

"Mada mada, Momo-sempai."

"So what year is she?" Momo asked the ichinen trio.

"Transfer student Sakurai Aika..." An ominous said from behind the five boys who twitched and slowly turned around to come face to face with Inui.

"I-Inui-sempai..." Horio bit out.

"Third year...14 years old...birthday is April 9th...blood type AB...5 feet and 3.5 inches...unknown weight..."

The five boys listened to Inui as he continued to give the girl's data to them.

"She transferred from Osaka's Shitenhouji although she attended Rikkaidai her freshman year..."

"Ooh..."

Inui snapped his book shut.

"According to my data, she is in Fuji and Eiji's homeroom."

Momo grinned.

"Maybe sempais can introduce me to her."

Ryoma flicked his tongue.

"No way, Momo-sempai...that girl looks like she wants a real man."

"What, Echizen? Are you saying I am not manly enough?" Momo demanded.

Echizen turned to his side and put up his hands around his neck.

"That's not what I said...but since you implied it..."

"Mou! Darn it, Echizen!" Momo put Echizen into a headlock.

"Momo-sempai...it hurts..."

The ichinen trio laughed at their silly antics while Inui continued to look out the window at the three girls outside in the courtyard.

_o-o-o-o-o_

_Club Activities_

_o-o-o-o-o_

"SEMPAIS!" Tomoka hollered as she raced toward the tennis regulars with Sakuno and Aika in tow.

She stopped just in front of them.

"Hello, Osakada-san," Fuji beamed at the younger girl who blushed. "You as well, Ryuzaki-san." The other girl did, as well.

"Hi, Fuji-sempai!"

"Saa...you seem excited," The genius remarked.

"Hai!" Tomoka nodded.

Sakuno nodded, too, although not as enthusiastically.

"Meet Sakurai Aika!"

The regulars finally noticed the mysterious girl with golden brown hair.

Aika smiled at the regulars awkwardly.

"Hello."

"Ah!" Momo pointed at her. "You're the one I saw!"

Ryoma turned to Momo.

"We saw her two hours ago, Momo-sempai. Mada mada..."

"Echizen!"

"Nice to meet you, Sakurai-san!" Oishi said as he turned his attention back to the new girl.

"What year are you, nya?" Eiji asked her.

"Third year," Aika answered.

"Eh?" Eiji looked at her with a confused look.

"Really?"

Aika nodded.

"What classroom are you in?" Eiji asked as he moved in closer to Aika, completely invading her personal space bubble.

"Umm...3-6," Aika replied as she felt the hairs on her neck rising as she felt Eiji's presence overwhelm hers.

"Waaaah! That's the same as mine and Fujiko's!" He remarked before Oishi pulled him away.

"Sorry, Sakurai-san," Oishi apologized.

Aika smiled at him.

"It's fine...umm..."

"Oishi. Oishi Shuichiro."

"Ah...thank you Oishi-san."

"Ha ha ha...is today your first day, Sakurai-san?" Fuji asked her pleasantly.

"Hai. Tomoka-chan and Sakuno-chan have been showing me around the school," Aika said as she picked a stray lock of hair.

"Ah. I trust it's been pleasant?" Fuji asked.

"Yes," Aika smiled at the genius.

Fuji stuck out his hand.

"Fuji Syuusuke."

Aika shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Fuji-san."

"You as well."

Tomoka squealed next to Sakuno.

"I can see a great romance sprouting here," Tomoka whispered to Sakuno who looked at her blankly.

"I...don't understand, Tomo-chan..."

Tomoka laughed aloud and patted Sakuno's back.

"You'll see one day, Sakuno!"

Sakuno rubbed her back and looked at her best friend weirdly.

* * *

**Mwahahahaha...inspiration means more chapters...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sasa:** I feel like a turtle...is the story going too slow?

**Aika:** Perhaps. *shrugs*

**Sasa:** What?

**Aika:** You don't think so?

**Sasa:** ...maybe...

**Aika:** I like it slow...

**Sasa:** Yeah...that's because you -

**Aika:** *covering Sasa's mouth* Please enjoy Chapter 4!

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Sunday**

_o-o-o-o-o_

Aika pulled the door to the cafe open before walking inside the cozy looking building with a stroller.

"Aika-chan! Over here!" Miwa called over to the pretty brunette who smiled at her long time friend.

Aika walked over to Miwa, pushing the stroller next to her chair before settling down.

"I missed you so much!" Miwa squealed before hugging her friend tightly.

Aika chuckled, patting Miwa's back softly before pulling away.

"Shh..." Aika whispered as she raised a finger to her lips in a Shhh-motion. She pointed at the tiny figure in the stroller which caught Miwa's attention.

Miwa blinked before she knelt down next to the stroller to look at the baby in the stroller.

Dark, curly brown hair and smooth pale skin with pink cheeks...

"She looks like a mini version of you," Miwa said slowly.

Aika smiled.

"You're not surprised?" Aika asked Miwa carefully, gauging her reaction.

Miwa shook her head.

"No."

Aika looked at Miwa who suddenly became serious. Usually, Miwa was a whimsical person who liked to play and have fun. Once someone pissed her off, well...let's not go there...let's just say things did not end well for the target of her rage.

"Two years ago...when you left for Osaka...I kinda figured why..." Miwa said as she sipped her tea. "It wasn't to escape the rumors...I mean, okay yeah...but your mother could have paid the headmaster to silence the shit talkers...yet...she didn't..."

Miwa raised her eyes to meet Aika's own violet ones.

"You left because you were pregnant with that baby girl right?"

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Outside the cafe**

_o-o-o-o-o_

Ryoma and his cousin Nanako were walking to the grocery store to buy some food to use for tonight's dinner.

He froze as he recognized a girl in the cafe.

She was the one Sakuno was introducing to everyone.

"You left because you were pregnant with that baby girl right?"

Pregnant?

Baby girl?

He stared at the girl through the window. She and her friend were too engrossed to notice him. Ryoma blinked as he finally noticed the stroller with a baby inside.

"Ryoma...Ryoma..."

He turned to his side.

"Let's go," Nanako said, tugging on her younger cousin's sleeve.

Ryoma gave one last glance to the two girls inside the cafe before following Nanako.

It wasn't like this was his problem..

* * *

Aika chuckled softly so as to not disturb her sleeping daughter.

Miwa looked at her, patiently waiting for her answer.

Aika sighed deeply as Haruka mumbled in her sleep before turning on her side to get into a more comfortable position to sleep in .

"Yes."

Miwa shook her head.

"I knew it."

Aika reached out for Miwa's hand.

"Miwa-chan...I'm sorry...it's just Momma didn't -"

Miwa cut her off.

"Aika-chan, it's okay...I understand...if it were me, I would not want anyone to know either."

The two girls smiled at each other before leaning over and trying to embrace each other with their foreheads pressed against each other.

"We are so pitiful," Both girls said, laughing with each other.

They moved away from each other when Haruka began to stir.

"So," Miwa said as she looked at Haruka. "What's your baby's name?"

"Her name is Haruka," Aika stated with a proud smile.

Miwa traced her thumb over Haruka's cheeks.

"She's pretty...just like you," Miwa murmured.

"Oh, Miwa-chan! You're pretty, too!"

Miwa frowned.

"Not as girly as you...I'm too tomboyish...that's why guys don't like me," Miwa said with a pout.

Aika laughed at Miwa.

"Oh, so you're saying you want a boyfriend now hmm?" Aika teased Miwa who gasped.

"Hey! I didn't say I wanted a boyfriend!"

Aika arched an eyebrow.

"Sure...just like how you said you didn't like Yagyuu-san from the golf club."

Miwa paused.

Aika smirked knowingly.

Miwa hardened her eyes.

"He's not in the golf club anymore..."

Aika laughed.

"You still like him right?"

Miwa's frown deepened.

"MOU! AIKA-CHAN!"

"It can't be helped," Aika chuckled at Miwa's expression. It was priceless.

"Help?" A tiny voice murmured.

Both girls looked at the stroller where Haruka's feet were thumping against the stroller.

Aika took her baby out of the stroller and placed her on her lap.

When Haruka's blue eyes fixed themselves on Miwa, Miwa gasped when she noticed those familiar blue orbs.

"They look just like..."

Aika nodded as she looked at her friend's stupefied expression.

"She has his eyes," Aika smiled sadly as her hands held onto her baby who was curiously watching Miwa.

"Who is she?" Haruka asked while pointing at Miwa.

"She's mommy's good friend," Aika answered as she looked at Miwa with a smile. "You call her Auntie Miwa."

"Auntie Miwa?" Haruka repeated clearly.

Aika nodded.

Miwa chuckled. "She's just like you...always so clear with that pronunciation."

Aika only smiled as Haruka reached her hands out toward Miwa with a great big toothy grin on her small face.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Later**

_o-o-o-o-o_

Aika and Miwa walked side by side as they headed toward a nearby park with Haruka in tow, kicking her feet back and forth while in her stroller.

"Sorry for imposing on you, Miwa-chan," Aika apologized with a bashful look on her face. "I didn't expect Haru to want to play so much with you since she's normally shy with strangers."

"It's fine," Miwa chuckled. "I love Haruka-chan! She's so cute!"

"Cute, cute, cute..." Haruka repeated playfully.

Both girls laughed at the adorable toddler.

"Before I forget, thank you," Aika said to Miwa who became confused.

"For what?"

"Telling Tomoka-chan to show me around Seigaku...she's been real helpful."

"Ah...that's fine," Miwa said as she rubbed her arm. "Glad to help."

"Thanks again," Aika said happily.

"You're my bestie...of course anything for you," Miwa said as she poked Aika who jumped and poked her back.

"Mama...I play too!" Haruka demanded as she wiggled even more in the stroller.

"Ha ha! Wait till we get to the playground, baby!" Aika said to her excited two-year old.

On the other side of the park, Marui, Jackal, and Akaya were sitting at a bench together.

"Hey, sempais...isn't that Terumi-san from Niou-sempai's class?" Akaya pointed out the tough looking girl.

Marui's eyes followed Akaya's finger and narrowed in on a tall girl with jet black hair and steel gray eyes.

"Yup. That's Terumi Miwa for sure."

Jackal looked, as well.

"The monster of the Rikkai's Girls' Tennis Team," He added.

"Eh? Who is she with?" Akaya added as he noticed the more feminine girl who was rolling a blue stroller.

Marui shrugged.

"Who cares? Let's go before buchou and fukubuchou get mad at us?"

Jackal nodded.

"Let's go," Marui said, getting up to walk to Rikkai for practice.

As Akaya and Jackal walked in front of Marui, the redhead turned around to glance at the golden brown haired girl's back. His eyes narrowed as he thought about where he had seen her before.

* * *

**Don't you guys love dramatic irony? I do!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Corner: **

**Sasa: **Thank you to all the faithful readers who come back to read this slow-moving story.

**Aika: **We are slowly building up momentum, Sasa.

**Sasa:** Bwahahahaha...of course...I am a genius after all...

**Aika: **-_- Now you remind me of someone annoying from Rikkai...

**Haruka: **Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

**Sasa: **Please enjoy Chapter 5!

*I do not own Prince of Tennis*

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Seigaku**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"...thus if you use u to substitute for cos of x, it is possible to remove the sin of x although a value of -1 is left behind since the derivative of cos of x is sin of x..." Aika explained as she wrote the answer to the Calculus problem that the teacher wrote on the chalkboard in bright white. "Afterward, it is simply a matter of integrating and you will get this..." She said as she wrote the answer next to her work before circling it.

The class watched as she moved and went to sit down in the back of the classroom after placing the chalk next to the huge green chalkboard.

"Good work, Sakurai," The math teacher complimented Aika as she looked over Aika's work which seemed flawless although she left out some minor small steps that she worked out in her head.

"Thank you, sensei," Aika said as she looked at the teacher from her desk.

"Aww, so polite..." Harada-sensei sighed dreamily. "You're so adorable...if only my daughter was like you..."

The class stared at Harada-sensei with weird expressions while Aika looked out the window.

_I wonder how Haruka is doing at her daycare, _Aika thought with a concerned look. Then, she smiled as she thought about what Miwa-chan would say.

Miwa-chan would probably say something like _See how worried you are over your daughter? You were meant to be a mother..._

Aika's smile deepened as she realized and accepted the fact that it was the truth. She was protective of her daughter...and who wouldn't be of a two year old child?

"Aika-chan, nya..."

Aika looked to her side.

"Yes, Kikumaru-kun?"

"Mou...call me Eiji-kun!" Eiji whispered quietly.

Aika had a feeling that if Harada-sensei was not lecturing right now, Eiji would probably be whining out loud. She laughed at the mental image her mind made.

"Ehh...maybe next time..."

Eiji pouted.

"You're so mean nya..."

Aika smiled at him which made Eiji grin back at her.

"Shh! Pay attention...Eiji-kun," Aika whispered to her seatmate.

Eiji's eyes widened when he realized she called him by his first name.

"YAY! YOU FINALLY SAID IT, NYA!" He cheered out.

Suddenly, Aika's face paled.

Eiji blinked. He blinked again.

Aika slowly pointed a finger up.

Eiji turned and looked behind...only to see Harada-sensei's scary face.

"KIKUMARU EIJI, HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT MY LECTURE?" Harada-sensei howled like an angry wolf.

"NYA...FORGIVE ME!" Eiji's voice flowed throughout the room.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Later**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"Haha...Harada-sensei also assigned Eiji-kun extra homework..." Aika chuckled as she recounted the tale to the tennis regulars who laughed along with her while Eiji pouted at her.

"Sorry, Eiji-kun," Aika said as she smiled at the hurt cat-like boy.

Eiji turned to his side, crossed his arms over his chest, and puffed out his cheeks.

Seeing this, Oishi moved to console his doubles partner while Aika smiled inwardly. Eiji reminded her of Haruka when she threw tantrums whenever she did not get her way.

"Maaa...it's fine Eiji..." Fuji said as he moved to stand next to the golden brown haired girl.

"Fuji-kun is right...I can help if you need help," Aika offered.

"Really?" Eiji asked, slowly turning around to face Aika who nodded her head.

"Yup."

"Yay!" Eiji cheered, taking Aika's hands and shaking them vigorously.

Aika could not help but smile at his silly antics.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Morning Sun Daycare Center**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"Who is the adorable little girl in the pink dress?"

"Oh, she's new..."

"Really?"

"Yup...I guess her Mommy and Grandma are too busy to take care of her, so they bring her here during the day..."

"Eh? Such a cute little girl!"

_Nod._

"I know right!"

"It's probably because her mother is still in school."

"Eh?"

"Yeah...middle school, I think."

"Are you serious? So young!"

"Wow...how shameful..."

"Shameful?"

"She's unwedded right?"

"Hmm...no one knows...she's pretty though..."

"Well, of course since she gave birth to such a beautiful baby..."

Little Haruka tilted her head in the direction of the gossip women who decided to coo at her. She blinked before turning away and focusing on her house of cards. Mommy had told her that patience (whatever that was) was key to everything. She narrowed her big doe like eyes as she carefully concentrated on making sure the house did not fall down.

Why were these women talking about Mommy and her? Did they do something wrong?

Frowning, Haruka decided to let the house fall apart, the cards stacking on top of each other.

Without any of the adults seeing, Haruka got up and walked away toward the local park that she and Mommy went to last time with Auntie Miwa. Her tiny feet toddled along side her as she made her way toward her destination which would have taken an older person about 7-8 minutes to walk there.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**2 hours later**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"Hello! I am Sakurai Aika...I am here to pick up Sakurai Haruka," Aika said to a young woman wearing a yellow dress.

"Ah, yes...hold on please..."

The woman walked into the back of the huge house and asked for Sakurai Haruka. When no one raised their hand or anything, she paled. Did they really lose a child while on the job? She took a deep breath before walking back to the front.

"Excuse me, ma'am but it seems that the young girl is...err..." The woman fiddled with her words while Aika blinked at her.

"Is...there something wrong?" Aika asked the woman slowly.

The woman slowly met her violet eyes.

"Sakurai Haruka is not in the nap room with the rest of the children..."

Aika's eyes widened.

"What?"

Aika turned and walked out of the building, the woman in tow.

She pulled out her cellphone and dialed a number. After two rings, the other person picked up.

"Miwa-chan, I need your help."

Meanwhile, at the park, Haruka sat by herself in the grass. She watched the clouds float by and smiled as she felt the nice breeze.

"Mm..." She mumbled as she yawned lightly.

Today was boring with those ladies being so...what was that word Mommy used? Ah! Nosy! Yeah...those nosy women were saying weird stuff...Her two year old mind could not fully comprehend what they were saying but it was safe to say that it was not anything good.

Suddenly, Haruka's eyes widened.

Mommy!

Where was Mommy?

She turned left and right...she wasn't at the big house with the other children anymore...

Would Mommy know she was here?

Eyes tearing up, Haruka hiccuped...

_Waaaaah..._

Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Shuichiro froze as they heard the sound of a crying child. They followed the sound to a deeper part of the park to see a young child sitting by herself.

Eiji blinked twice as he noticed the shade of golden brown hair.

When the little girl looked up, he froze as he thought he was looking at Aika.

Oishi did, as well.

Somehow...did their classmate drink some kind of poisonous drink and transform into a toddler? No no...now he was being crazy...it wasn't possible...

Wait.

He thought of Inui and Inui's crazy concoctions...somehow if that was possible...then...he looked at the girl...Aika turning into a little girl again wasn't exactly impossible either...

"A-Aika-chan?" Eiji said uncertainly, catching the little girl's attention.

The little girl blinked at him.

"Again," Haruka said as she looked at the mysterious boy.

"Aika-chan."

"Name, name...name," Haruka mused in a chorus.

"She's responding, Eiji," Oishi remarked as he looked at the little girl.

Eiji smiled at the little girl who smiled back.

In Haruka's mind, she thought the boys were okay, because they knew Mommy's name.

"Sa-ku-rai...Sakurai...Aiii-ka..." Haruka giggled, clapping her hands.

"Hai, hai!" Eiji said as he approached her more closely with Oishi standing still to reassure the little girl no one was going to hurt them.

Suddenly, a green tennis ball shot out of the bushes and slammed down in front of Eiji, making him freeze. Oishi rushed to his partner while a thin figure stepped out from the bushes.

"Get away from her, you chesters!" Steel gray eyes snapped in their direction with an icy cold gaze.

* * *

**Soooo? :3**


	6. Chapter 6

*I do not own Prince of Tennis*

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Chester?" Oishi croaked out with a horrified expression on his face.

"What's that, Oishi?" Eiji asked his best friend.

The girl grit her teeth.

"It's short for CHILD MOLESTER!" She growled angrily as she grabbed the toddler and placed her behind her.

Eiji gasped.

"Child molester?" He exclaimed with a big O.

"Where? Where?" The catlike boy turned his head left and right while his best friend delicately face palmed himself.

"Eiji..."

The dark haired girl stared at him with a disgusted look on her face.

"Hey!" Eiji exclaimed as he noticed the strange girl take Sakurai-san. "You can't take her!"

The black hair girl snorted. "Of course I can, you idiot...she knows me...right?" She turned to the little girl and said "Don't you?"

The clueless Haruka bobbed her head up and down.

"Auntie Miwa~..." Haruka crooned cutely at her mommy's nice friend.

Miwa smiled back.

"Yup...now let's go to your mum," Miwa said as she walked away from the two Seigaku boys.

"OI~!" Eiji shouted out, moving to stop her before Oishi placed a hand on his shoulder.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Elsewhere**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"What the heck...those two Seigaku idiots..." Miwa muttered darkly as she recalled what happened ten minutes ago. She thought about the catlike boy and the boy with the ugly haircut. Her left eye twitched violently as she thought about how the redhead idiot didn't know that he was the chester she was referring to.

Haruka blinked in Miwa's arms as she watched her auntie shake her head a lot.

"Ah! Momma!" Haruka cried out as she saw her mommy standing by a lamp post.

Miwa blinked and looked up.

"Aika-chan, look who I've got!"

Aika smiled at her daughter and her best friend who approached her.

Miwa handed Haruka over after kissing her hair.

"Haru, did you run off?" Aika asked her daughter who only blinked at her momma's question.

"Nghh..." Haruka mumbled as she burrowed into her mother's warmth.

"Haruka," Aika said more firmly.

"Nghh eeen tooh," Haruka said as her voice was muffled against her mother's breasts.

Aika sighed before looking at Miwa who smiled at her.

"The terrible twos.." Both friends agreed while Haruka was confused by what they meant.

The two middle school students decided to go to a nearby fast food restaurant.

Haruka bit on a crunchy fry as Miwa told Aika what happened when she found Haruka.

"...two Seigaku boys...an idiot and an egghead...ughh...piss me off..." Miwa ranted as her hands clenched uncontrollably with the urge to choke someone's neck. Her left eye twitched violently alongside her clenching and unclenching hands while Aika laughed nervously at her friend's antics.

"Mou!" Miwa whined as she bit her bottom lip.

"It's okay Miwa-chan...at least you found Haru for me," Aika said softly as she watched her daughter eat.

"Ah, it's fine," Miwa reaffirmed.

"Well, I have to go now...Mum is calling for me," She gestured to her vibrating phone.

"Yeah, that's fine," Miwa said as she, too, prepared to leave.

Miwa left first while Aika and Haruka stayed and waited for their ride.

_Hmm...those two boys sounds like...Eiji-kun and Oishi-kun, _Aika thought as she held her daughter close to her chest. _Oh well..._

Aika shrugged carelessly.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**The Next Day**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"It was horrible!" Eiji said dramatically as he recounted the tale to his teammates at morning practice. "Aika-chan turned small and _waaahhh _then a scary girl appeared!"

"Really?" Momo asked his sempai.

Eiji nodded vigorously.

"She called us child molesters and then took Aika-chan!" He squealed childishly while Oishi shook his head.

"What if she stole Aika-chan and gave her away to bad people...or, or..." Eiji hyperventilated.

"Calm down, Eiji! Get a hold of yourself!" Oishi tried to calm his partner down.

"Aika-chan will forever remain a chibi!"

"Eto...isn't that Aika-senpai right there?" Echizen pointed out in a bored tone.

The regulars and the ichinen trio followed his line of right to see the girl.

"EH!" Eiji exclaimed. "How is that possible?"

He thought of how she was small the day before and how she was normal now.

Did Aika-chan have a mysterious condition where she lost her memories and shrunk during nighttime and then she turned normal in the morning?

Fuji smiled mysteriously.

Saa...

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**3-6 Homeroom**

_o-o-o-o-o_

Aika blinked.

She blinked again.

She blinked **again. **

Nope...he was still there...

Aika smiled nervously. "Eiji-kun, can I help you with something?"

Eiji ignored her and continued to inspect her closely.

Aika turned slowly toward Fuji with a silent plea for help.

"Saa...Eiji, you're scaring Sakurai-san," Fuji said as he stepped in between the damsel in distress and the curious cat.

"Fujiko!" Eiji whined while Aika sweat dropped. "I'm just checking to see if Aika-chan is normal now!"

"Normal?" Aika whispered quietly with her head tilted down.

"You should sit down before Sensei returns," Fuji suggested while motioning toward the door.

Eiji frowned, considering his options.

Aika waited on the side.

She sighed as Eiji reluctantly sat down before he turned to her and said," Get better, Aika-chan, nya!"

Aika twitched as all of the girls in the room glared at her.

Fuji merely smiled and shook his head.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**After School**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"Aika-sempai?"

"Hmm?" Aika turned around to look at her two kouhais.

"Ano..." Sakuno fidgeted and looked at her feet, too shy to look at her sempai's questioning eyes.

Tomoka jumped up and looked straight at Aika. "Are you mentally ill?"

Aika blinked. "Ha?"

Sakuno stared at Tomoka wide-eyed.

"Do you have a disease that makes you...umm...r-regress...oh! I mean, umm...shrink into a kid...and then you turn normal...when you wake up in the morning...or...?" Tomoka blurted out excitedly.

Aika chuckled nervously while Sakuno looked horror struck.

"No, Tomoka-chan...I am not mentally ill nor do I have a disease that makes me transform into a child," Aika answered as she continued to sift through her coursework.

"Eh really? Kiku-" Tomoka stared at Sakuno who had shoved her hand over Tomoka's mouth. "Mmf...mmf mmf..."

Aika blinked.

"Tomoka-chan? Sakuno-chan?"

Sakuno laughed nervously.

"It's nothing, sempai!"

Aika eyed the two first years.

"You're sure?"

Sakuno nodded.

"Hai, hai!" She turned to Tomo-chan. "Right, Tomo-chan?"

Tomoka nodded, too.

Aika smiled at them before getting up.

"Well, I have to leave now, girls. See you tomorrow."

As soon as she walked out the door, Sakuno pulled her hand away from Tomoka.

"What was that for, Sakuno?" Tomoka asked in her loud voice.

"Shhh! You would have given away Kikumaru-sempai's secret," Sakuno explained.

Tomoka blinked.

Ohhhhh...

* * *

**Poor Aika...Eiji is just making things hard on her...hahahahaha!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Corner:**

**Sasa: **Hello!

**Aika: **...

**Sasa: **What?

**Aika: **...

**Sasa: **-_- I get you wanna see Niou soon but please try to act lively here...

**Aika: **What? I never said I wanted to see that good-for-nothing playboy!

**Sasa: **=_= Whatever...

*I do not own Prince of Tennis*

* * *

Aika chuckled to herself at her kouhais silly antics. Eiji probably asked them to ask her since he was too nervous to ask her about it. She shrugged. There was no point in telling him...or anyone else...who wasn't a close friend. Things did not turn out so well last time she told her 'friends' about Haruka...

Speaking of her baby, the daycare ladies apologized furiously the other day Haruka wandered off on her own...they offered free services for the rest of the year, so Aika decided to continue sending Haruka there after warning her daughter in toddler language that it was bad to go off on her own. She could still picture Haruka's wide eyes and wide mouth when she exaggerated stories to scare her daughter. Ah, it was hilarious.

Aika blinked as her phone began to vibrate in her school bag. Her small hands dug in her bag and pulled out her cell which read _Mom _on it.

"Hi, Mum."

"Where are you, Aika?"

"On my way to get Haru from the daycare."

"Oh okay..well I'm going to be home later today so eat without me."

"Alright...is that all?"

"Hey, watch -"

Aika fell to her side, clutching her cell tightly. She squinted her eyes and looked at the person standing over her. He had curly dark hair and green eyes.

"Ahh, sorry...I told you to watch out," The boy said as he awkwardly scratched his head and offered Aika a hand.

"Aika?"

"Mum, I'll call you later."

She hung up and took the boy's hand.

"Sorry, sorry," The boy continuously apologized.

"It's fine," Aika said as she brushed off the dirt on her school uniform.

"No, no...Fukubuchou might get mad if he hears about this, so I'm extremely sorry for bumping into you and making you fall!"

Aika eyed the boy.

"It's okay...really...please excuse me...I have to go," She said as she walked away from the strange boy.

"I'M KIRIHARA AKAYA! Remember me!" The boy shouted after her.

Aika rolled her eyes and continued walking toward the daycare center.

_Men..._

* * *

Aika looked down and smiled at her baby who jumped up and down like a frog.

"You're so jumpy, Haru."

"Jumpy?" Haruka asked curiously.

Aika nodded. "Yeah...you're just like Mr. Frog from your book."

Haruka's blue eyes lit up.

"Froooog..."

Aika's eyes warmed at the sight of her daughter trying to imitate a frog.

"Hai...like a frog."

"Frog?" Haruka repeated.

"Yes."

"Frog, frog, frog...frog, frog, frog..." Haruka said over and over again.

Aika chuckled again.

"Yes...frog."

"Mama, where we go today?" Haruka asked Aika with a small smile on her equally tiny face.

"Grandma is busy, so it'll be us only tonight...we are going to the store."

Hearing the word s_tore, _Aika began to jump up and down even more.

Aika could not help but chuckle at her daughter's excitement.

At the store, Aika grabbed a basket and held it with one hand while the other was secure around Haruka's tiny hand.

"What shall we have today?" Aika asked Haruka, letting go of her daughter's hand and placing the basket on the floor.

"...moo moo..." Haruka mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"I want Moo Moo!" Haruka repeated more energetically.

"Yeah?" Aika asked her.

Haruka nodded her head.

"What do you say?"

"Pwease?"

Aika arched an eyebrow.

"Pwetty pwease!"

"Haha okay!"

Aika began to look through the pile of packaged meat for the best price and size. After picking the meat that appealed to her most, she placed it in the basket.

"Haru, I'm done."

She looked to her left.

No one was there.

She looked to her right.

No one was there, too.

A sense of dread filled her.

"Haruka!" Aika called out.

Suddenly, she felt a poke on her side.

She turned around and ...

"BOO!" Haruka shouted with her fingers pointed toward Aika who jumped back in surprise.

Aika held a hand to her chest.

"You scared me, Haru...don't do that again."

Haruka pouted.

"Aww, why?"

"You scared me."

"Scare?"

Aika nodded and gestured to her eyes to make a crying motion.

Haruka frowned.

"Okay...but I want apple." She pointed to the huge pile of Fuji apples.

"Haha...okay, but no more going bye-bye, okay?"

Haruka nodded before tugging her mother toward the fruit section.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Two Years Ago**

_o-o-o-o-o_

_"There's something wrong..." Aika whispered as she placed a hand over her stomach._

_Chiaki moved to stand next to her daughter and placed her hands over her daughter._

_"Aika?"_

_"Mum, there's something wrong with my baby..."_

_Chiaki looked at her daughter._

_"What?"_

_She removed her hands from Aika and looked at the blood staining her hands._

_Aika stared at the blood with a horrified expression. She stood up, trembling._

_"My baby," She whispered slowly and quietly._

_Chiaki stood, too._

_"We have to get to the hospital!"_

_Nurses wheeled Aika on a hospital bed toward the emergency room._

_Aika breathed heavily as her face paled quickly._

_"My baby...I-I can't lose...her," Aika said weakly to the nurse who was holding onto her hands._

_In the hospital's chapel, Chiaki prayed to the statue to save her daughter and her grandchild._

_"Please...please save them both..."_

_Waaaaah...waaaaah...waaaaah!_

_"Open your eyes!" Someone urged. "Your baby girl is waiting to see you!"_

_Aika's eyes slowly opened, her eyelids fluttering like butterflies. Slowly, the darkness receded and she could make out the bright lights in the delivery room and the beeping of the heart monitor...it was her heart.._

_Waaaaah...waaaaah...waaaaah!_

_That voice...that loud voice..._

_"You're finally awake!" A brunette remarked as she gently cuddled the tiny bundle wrapped in a baby blue cotton blanket. "Look! This is your baby girl! She's beautiful!"_

_Aika's blurry eyes focused on the tiny baby girl whose eyes were slightly open._

_"She has blue eyes...they might not stay that way forever since all baby's eyes are blue when they're born..." The nurse rambled as she handed the baby to Aika._

_Aika's eyes watered._

_No...her eyes were going to stay this color...her baby girl inherited his eyes..._

_"What are you going to name this baby girl?"_

_Aika's tears began fall._

_"She's a child of spring...so her name will be **Haruka**."_

_"That's a beautiful name!" The nurse remarked._

* * *

"I'm a lil teapot, short and stout..." Haruka sang as she twirled around the large living room. "Here is my...umm..."

"Here is my handle and here is my stout..." Aika added as she washed the dishes in the kitchen.

"Hai, hai!"

"Haru, don't make a mess, okay?"

"Haiii!"

Aika hummed to herself as she watched the dishes quickly before drying them off with a towel.

She walked into the living room and saw Haruka fast asleep on the floor.

Aika sighed before picking up her baby and walking to the second floor to give her daughter a shower.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**The Next Day**

_o-o-o-o-o_

Aika looked out the window as one of her classmates read from their assigned textbook. She sighed to herself as she thought about how fast Haruka was growing up. Two years ago, her baby was just born and now she was running all over the place...

_She's so much like him..._

That playfulness and mischievous streak that Haruka had was so reminiscent of his...

Every day, Haruka was growing up to look like her while her personality was like that of her father's...

"Next, Sakurai-san."

"Uhh...hai!" Aika said as she stood with her book. "These two lines describe how the poet sees a stranger...It shows how an individual's perspective regarding someone can change from something that they originally thought to something else...No matter how it is seen, it is irrevocably true that judging a book by its cover is a usual human reaction..."

"Yes, yes...good job! Next...Asano-kun!"

"Haiii!"

Aika sat down and flipped to the next page. She sighed before looking out the window again.

_Only three and a half more hours..._

Eiji and Fuji eyed Aika from the back of the class.

"Something's definitely wrong with Aika-chan," Eiji whispered to Fuji who nodded in response.

"Saa...I wonder what it is..."

"Next, Kikumaru-kun!"

"Ulp!"

Kikumaru stood up and held his book.

"Page 90, line 29," Fuji whispered to Eiji who thanked him.

* * *

**Preview: **

**"Neh, Sakurai-san, it's easier to talk about your problems with someone you don't know," Fuji said to the pale faced girl. **

**Aika turned and looked at the smiling boy. She smiled sadly. **

**"Haha...really, Fuji-kun?" **

**"Hai...now why would I lie?" **

**Aika chuckled lightly. **

**"That's true," She remarked turning to look at him. **

**Silence settled in before Aika shuffled her feet to sit down. **

**"Don't judge a book by its cover...it was in our philosophy book..." **

**Fuji looked at Aika, his eyed opened. **

**Aika looked at him, too. **

**"What if I told you I had a child?" **


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Corner: **

**Sasa: **Neh neh, did the preview from the last chapter get your insides turning?

**Aika: **Eh...I didn't think it was great...

**Sasa: **So it was bad?

**Aika: **No...I just mean...

**Sasa: **Oh forget it!

**Aika: **:O

**Sasa: **Ugh..

*I do not own Prince of Tennis*

* * *

_Time skip _

Months flew by and Aika blended into the school. She became known for her intelligence and kind nature to help others even though she was clumsy and a bit forgetful sometimes. She even made friends with some girls who were third years, as well. After the incident with Eiji, Aika thought that she would never be able to make friends with any of the third year girls at all...Surprisingly, she was able to, so she was happy.

Aika and Miwa continued to meet regularly and hang out on weekends with and without Haruka sometimes. It was a good stress reliever for both girls. As tennis season was approaching, Miwa focused on training a lot to prepare for the tournaments to come. Sometimes, it became so hectic that she would collapse and cry out in frustration. To make matters worse, she had to deal with idiots like Niou Masaharu from Rikkai.

_Ugh...if only that asshole knew he was a father..._

On the other hand, Aika was not faring so well either. Chiaki-san, her mother, was dealing with difficulties at work...she was either flying out of the country or stuck at the office most of her time. It made things difficult for Aika and Haruka. Aika's school work kept her too busy during the nighttime, so it was hard for her to take care of her baby. Haruka was taken care of during the daytime since she was left at the daycare center during school hours. Nighttime was a whole different story.

"Mum, are you going to be out of town again?" Aika asked her mother as she dried the dishes that her mother passed to her. What she actually meant to say was, _you're leaving the country again, right? _

And as always, when it came to family issues, she was right.

Chiaki-san sighed.

"Aika, you know I have to do this so I can support the three of us."

"I know, Mum...it's just...I have a hard time taking care of Haru without you..."

Chiaki-san pat her daughter's back.

"I know, honey...even so, you have to try your best...after all, when I had you, it was just me by myself."

Aika smiled at her mother.

"I know, Ma...I know."

"No no no," Haruka repeated as she kicked her feet back and forth on her baby blue high chair.

"Yes, baby."

Aika giggled at her puzzled daughter.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**Saturday**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"Where are you going, Aika?" Chiaki-san asked her daughter who slipped into her white sandals easily.

"I'm going to meet Miwa-chan at the coffee shop, and then we're going to come back here," Aika said as she bent down to adjust the straps on her sandals.

"Ah, okay...be safe!"

Aika smiled as she stepped out the door.

"Thanks, Mum! I will!"

Aika hummed Ave Maria as she walked down the busy streets toward the coffee shop that she and Miwa frequented often. She was so caught up in her own little merry tune that she did not notice the boy walking straight into her.

"Ow!"

Aika rubbed her head as she sat on the floor. Close to her, a tall lanky boy with dark hair and equally dark hairs was on the floor, too.

The boy stood up and glared at Aika.

"You bitch! Watch where you're going!"

Aika paled. She got up and bowed to him repeatedly.

"I'm so sorry! Really!"

"What the heck, bitch! Do you think _sorry _can save your ass?" He hollered angrily, catching the attention of the people who was walking by them.

"Really...I am so sorry!" Aika apologized again.

The boy narrowed his eyes and leaned in toward Aika. When his nose was touching her hair, he gave a light sniff and inhaled her sweet scent. He drew back and grinned lewdly.

Aika's blood ran cold as she recalled seeing a look so similar to this one two years ago.

The boy grabbed onto her arm.

"You can pay me back by going to karaoke with me...we're gonna have a blast."

He smirked darkly.

Aika snapped back to reality and tried to get out of his grip.

"Let go," She demanded softly yet firmly.

"You really think that's gonna stop me, huh?" The boy leered at her.

Aika bit her tongue.

The boy smirked.

"That's what I thought."

He continued to drag her away while she struggled to release her arm.

"Release her," A deceptively calm voice said from behind them.

_That voice..._

Aika turned around and saw Fuji Syuusuke.

"You...Seigaku's Fuji Syuusuke!"

"Yes...and if I'm correct, you must be from Ginka."

The boy holding her arm tensed.

"If I were you, I would let go of her...before I make you," Fuji stated calmly as he opened his eyes and smiled at the Ginka boy.

The boy tried to glare at Fuji but failed miserably as the prodigy smiled down at him.

"Che! Fine!"

He let go of Aika and stalked off angrily.

Fuji helped Aika stand as she rubbed her abused arm softly.

"Thank you, Fuji-kun."

"It's alright, Sakurai-san...are you alright?"

Aika nodded to her savior.

"Yes, thanks to you."

Fuji smiled at Aika.

"It's nothing...I was just helping a friend of a friend."

Aika smiled back at Fuji sincerely.

"Thank you."

"Saa...what is a pretty girl like you doing all alone out here?" Fuji inquired as the two walked side by side down a street.

"I'm meeting an old friend at a coffee shop around here," Aika answered as she glanced at her phone for the time.

"Ah, then I won't keep you..." Fuji said as he bid farewell and walked off.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

**The Following Week**

_o-o-o-o-o_

"Where is Sakurai Chiaki?" Aika demanded as she fought to calm her racing heart.

The nurse blinked before asking who she was.

"I am her daughter!" Aika shouted as she breathed heavily.

"Oh okay..." The nurse squeaked out. "Umm...Room 313..."

Aika rushed off toward the elevator and pressed on the button to go up. She cursed when the elevator lights did not change from the fourth floor. She rushed to the stairwell and ran up the stairs.

Aika huffed as she opened the door to the third floor and looked for 313. Finally finding it, she opened it and saw her mother laying on the hospital bed with a lot of tubes sticking out of her body.

She stepped back as her eyes began to tear.

"Mum..." She whispered softly as she clasped her hands over her mouth.

The tears dribbled down and Aika dropped to the floor, crying hysterically.

_"I'll be back soon," Chiaki said to her daughter and grand daughter. _

_"You pwomise, Gramma?" Haruka asked her grandma cutely._

_Chiaki bent down to be eye level with Haruka. _

_"Yes, I promise, baby." _

_Aika hugged her mother who pat her back. They drew away from each other and smiled before saying goodbye. _

How could this happen? Weren't things going so well?

At school, Aika was lifeless. Her mother was dying, and she had a young daughter who she couldn't support. What was she going to do?

"Tomo-chan, is Aika-sempai okay?" Sakuno whispered to her best friend.

Tomoka frowned.

"I...don't know..."

For once, the loud and obnoxious self proclaimed Echizen Ryoma fan club president was speechless.

Outside on the rooftop, Aika sat down with her bento box on her lap. Her eyes stared off into the distance. She did not hear the door open and close gently.

Fuji walked over to Aika and knelt down in front of her.

"Sakurai-san..." He said as he looked at her eyes which did not focus on him or anything in particular.

He repeated her name once again.

No response.

Fuji sighed before he gently shook her shoulder.

Aika blinked before she finally noticed Fuji.

"Fuji-kun! I'm sorry!"

She turned to her side and wiped her eyes.

"Umm...did you want anything?" She choked out helplessly as she set her lunch aside.

Fuji looked at her sympathetically.

"Saaa...you seem quite distracted today," He stated casually.

Aika smiled nervously and rubbed her eyes.

"Ah...y-yeah!"

"You know, Sakurai-san...it's easier to talk about your problems with someone you don't know," Fuji said as he sat down next to her.

Aika stiffened before she slowly turned to look at him.

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

Fuji smiled at her with his eyes closed.

"You're a friend of a friend," He answered simply.

Aika looked at Fuji carefully. Her eyes began to water and she struggled to hold the tears back.

"Don't judge a book by its cover...that was in our textbook..."

"Ah."

"What if...what if...I told you that I have a child?" Aika asked Fuji hesitantly.

Fuji blinked.

He certainly wasn't expecting that.

"Just kidding!" Aika grinned.

She sighed and turned to her side.

"My mum's in the hospital, and I'm worried...that's all."

Fuji blinked twice.

"Are you sure?"

Aika nodded.

"Thanks for worrying about me, Fuji-kun...but it's alright."

"Are you sure?" Fuji frowned.

Aika nodded.

* * *

"Mommy?"

"Hmm?"

"Is Gramma going to be okay?" Haruka asked her mother seriously.

Aika paused.

"I...don't know..."

"Mmh...where we going?"

Aika smiled bitterly to herself.

"We're going to see Gramma at the hospital."

"OHHHH!"

At the hospital, Aika and Chiaki chatted while Haruka sat on the bed with her Gramma.

Feeling bored, Haruka hopped off the bed and planted herself on the floor.

"I'm sorry," Chiaki apologized.

"No, Mum...it's me who should be apologizing," Aika said.

Chiaki frowned.

"You know...I...don't have much time..." Chiaki said quietly.

Aika looked at her wide eyed.

"What?"

"It's almost time for me to go..."

Aika grasped her mother's hands.

"Mum, please..."

Chiaki pulled her hands back and rubbed her daughter's back.

"Aika...when I'm gone, you will be okay...the house...and everything...they are yours..."

Aika began to weep.

"I don't care about that house back in Osaka, Mum! I just want you to get better!"

"I never told you...but you have an uncle...he'll be -"

The door opened and a tall man who was over 6 feet walked in. He had wavy dark brown hair and gray eyes.

"Chiaki," The man spoke in a deep baritone.

Chiaki-san smiled weakly. "Hello...Yukio-nii san."

Outside in the park area, Haruka chased around butterflies and giggled as she raced toward them, they flew away.

She spun around and squealed happily as the gentle sun warmed her pale skin.

Suddenly, she plopped to the grass.

Rubbing her eyes, Haruka looked up at the tall boy who bumped into her. She blinked as she took in the brown hair and blue eyes.

The boy's blue orbs trailed over her features, too before he bent down on one knee and smiled at her.

"Saa...what's a cute little girl doing here all alone?"

Haruka blinked.

"I not suppose to talk to stranger..."

The boy chuckled.

"Hai...I'm Fuji Syuusuke..."

Haruka faced him.

"I'm Sakurai Haruka!"

* * *

**And the plot thickens...**


	9. Chapter 9

***I do not own Prince of Tennis***

"Saaa...what's a young lady like you doing out here...all alone?" Fuji asked the young child who sat next to him. His eyes watched as she marveled at the birds in the bird bath. She looked exactly like his classmate except for her sparkling blue eyes.

_Must be from the father, _Fuji thought curiously.

Haruka frowned as she stopped kicking her feet back and forth.

"Mama is with Gramma...in there!" She pointed at the tall white hospital building.

"Ah," Fuji acknowledged.

"Uh huh!"

"Where is your Daddy?" Fuji asked Haruka softly.

"Haru dunno...Mama said Daddy is far, far away!" Haruka answered as she gestured "far, far away" with her small arms.

Fuji chuckled at her.

"Really?"

He smiled as she nodded her head innocently.

Fuji eyed the little girl from the corner of his eyes. He had an interesting idea...

"Saaa...Haruka-chan, who _is _your Mommy and Daddy?" Fuji inquired casually.

Haruka smiled. "I dunno Daddy but Mommy is Mommy."

"Eh?"

"Mommy is Sakurai Aika...Aika!" Haruka grinned up at Fuji who blinked as he felt like it was deja vu.

Haruka had the same smile as Aika...were the two really mother and daughter?

Fuji's blue eyes flashed.

Then, Haruka looked up at him, mystified.

"Pretty! Eyes like mine!" She squealed excitedly to Fuji who began to chuckle at how easily excitable she was.

* * *

"Y-You are?"

The tall man sighed deeply.

"My name is Kurobe Yukio, and I am your uncle," He explained.

"What?"

Chiaki-san coughed a bit before she finally got her breath.

"He's my older brother, Aika..." Chiaki-san said as she tried to slow down her heart rate. "Before I had you, my real name was Kurobe Chiaki."

"Kurobe?" Aika repeated.

Chiaki nodded.

"Yukio-nii and I have arranged for you to go live with him," Chiaki-san told Aika whose eyes widened.

"Mum..."

Chiaki grasped Aika's hands tightly.

"You and I...both...know that I am not going to make it..." Chiaki wheezed out as Aika began to cry softly.

"Mum...I..."

"You have to focus on your education, so you can take care of Haruka."

"I know, I know," Aika murmured from in between her sobs.

* * *

"I wonder where Haru-chan is..." Aika muttered to herself as she looked around her.

Yukio-oji san and her mother were discussing "adult matters" so Aika decided to take Haruka out for a walk in the hospital's green area. Imagine her surprise when she realized that Haruka was missing. She was currently in the hospital's garden when she froze.

"F-Fuji-kun," Aika choked out.

Said boy turned around to smile at her while Haruka was sitting perfectly fine next to him on the wooden bench next to a bird bath.

"Hello, Sakurai-san," Fuji greeted his classmate.

"Mommy!"

Haruka ran over to her mother as fast as her tiny legs let her. She tugged on her mother's coat tail.

"Syuu-chan was playing with me!" Haruka beamed at her mother who managed an awkward smile.

"Ohh..."

Fuji continued to smile brightly.

Aika winced. _He's dangerous..._

"Well, let's go...I'm done talking to Grandma," Aika said as she picked up Haruka who frowned.

"No fair! I wanna stay with Syuu-chan!"

Aika shook her head.

"No, baby...we have to go now," Aika said calmly.

Haruka shook her head and her eyes began to tear up.

"W-Waaaah..."

Aika tried to calm Haruka, but the toddler would not stop. She blinked as Fuji approached her and took her baby out of her arms.

"Saaa...Haruka-chan, if you go with your mommy, then I promise I will come see you soon."

Haruka blinked.

"Pwomise?"

Fuji nodded his head solemnly.

* * *

"I like Syuu-chan, Mama," Haruka said to Aika as she played with her rubber duck in the bathtub that was filled with bubbles.

"That's nice..." Aika murmured as she thought about Fuji. _He knows now...what should I do? _

Young unwed mothers were looked down upon...it would be a lie to say that what others thought of her didn't hurt her...Even so...

"Mama?"

Aika smiled at her daughter.

"It's nothing, baby."

During school the next day, Fuji acted normal. Aika expected him to tell Eiji about it, at least, but he didn't. He smiled and continued to...well, smile. She couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Sakurai-san," Fuji said as he approached her on the rooftop.

"Fuji-kun," Aika responded.

"Your daughter...she's cute," Fuji stated bluntly.

Aika fought the urge to cover her face with her hands.

"U-Um...thank you..is that all?"

"Iie."

Aika cringed inside.

"What you were saying...the other day...it was true, right?" Fuji questioned her.

Aika froze.

_What if...what if I told you that I have a daughter? _

"I take that as a yes."

Aika looked up at Fuji.

"You shouldn't meddle in other people's business, Fuji-kun."

Fuji looked at Aika with sharp blue eyes.

"I am your friend, Sakurai-san," Fuji said solemnly.

Aika glared at him from behind her watery violet eyes.

"Ha! Friend?" She mocked him callously while Fuji continued to look at her.

"I am serious," Fuji said.

Aika snorted.

"Admit it...deep down, you think I'm a whore...a whore who had a child at the age of 12..." Aika said bitterly.

"I never said that," Fuji said.

"Why..." Aika said as water began to drip from her eyes. "...is it that you always have a comeback to whatever I say?"

Images of Aika, Eiji, and Fuji in their homeroom flashed through Aika's mind...

It was true that Fuji did not care about other people besides his friends and family. Aika did not openly interact with him much, but she already established a place by his side as a friend. Friends helped one another, no matter what.

Fuji smiled gently.

"Friends help friends."

"You actually think we're friends?" Aika retorted.

"Yes," Fuji replied honestly.

"..."

"I don't know what happened two years ago, but what matters now is the present. Let me help you," Fuji pleaded.

"How can you help me when you don't know anything?" Aika cried out. "No one knows! No one cares!"

"That's because you don't want anyone to know...all of these negative thoughts...they are yours," Fuji said as he sat next to her.

Aika breathed heavily as his words sunk in.

"No..."

"Yes, it's true...you view yourself as a dirty person...you hate yourself deep down...don't you?"

Aika's eyes flashed to Fuji.

"Who are you to tell me this!" She demanded angrily as her tears fell freely. "You don't know me at all!"

"That's why, Sakurai-san...I don't know you, because you won't let me."

Aika shook her head and began to sob hysterically.

"I can't...I can't..."

Fuji took a hold of her hands.

"Trust me."

Aika shook her head.

Fuji nodded his.

"You...You're just going to turn out like **them**...you're going to leave me one day after giving me hopes."

Fuji shook his hand, tightening his hold on her.

"Saaa...I wouldn't leave a girl with pretty fingers..." He smiled.

Aika looked up at him.

"I will never leave your side until you tell me to."

"Why are you doing this?"

Fuji smiled at her.

"We're friends, right?"

_And in that moment, he made me want to believe again..._


	10. Chapter 10

***I do not own Prince of Tennis***

Recap: Chiaki-san does not have much time left to live. Kurobe Yukio, her older brother, has appeared. He will be taking care of Aika and Haruka. As for our heroine, she is in a sticky situation. Fuji had discovered Haruka's existence. The two have reached an "understanding" or not...Let's see what Chapter 10 holds...

_This is awkward, _Aika thought to herself as she fiddled with her hands on her lap.

Beside Aika, Fuji smiled pleasantly at her.

"Saaa...relax, Aika-chan."

Aika smiled nervously. Seriously, what was with Fuji? Ever since he confronted her on the rooftop last week, he started to call her using her first name...and he used the suffix _chan_, as well. When he called her _Aika-chan _in public, she fought the urge to cover his mouth with her hand...but he threatened to lick her hand once...so she did **not **want to go there again.

Even so...**why **was he here with her again...to see her mother?

"Fuji-kun..."

"Hai?" Fuji asked in a sing-song voice. He knew he was getting on her nerves. He knew she was stressed, but he couldn't stop himself from teasing her.

"Why are you here?" Aika whispered quietly.

Fuji smiled.

"Maaa...I couldn't leave you all alone," Fuji answered as he pretended to look like he was contemplating something extremely important.

"Aika -"

Chiaki-san stopped when she noticed the boy sitting next to her daughter.

"Oh, hello!"

Fuji stood up and bowed.

"Hello, Sakurai-san...my name is Fuji Syuusuke," Fuji said as he smiled charmingly at Chiaki-san.

"Nice to meet you, Fuji-kun," Chiaki-san said as she smiled back at him.

"Ah, the pleasure is all mine."

The two smiled at each other.

On the side, Aika thought to herself why did their meeting have to be so radiant? She swore she could see all the sparkles in the air.

* * *

"He's a nice boy," Chiaki-san said as she picked at her hospital food.

Aika stared out the window.

"He is," She agreed.

"I would have liked it if you were with a boy like him..."

Aika snapped to her mother.

"Mum!"

Chiaki-san chuckled.

"I'm just kidding!"

Aika huffed.

"Thank goodness...Fuji-kun and I are just friends."

Chiaki-san smiled.

"I'm glad you finally made a friend your age."

Aika frowned.

"You think I can't get friends?"

"Ha ha! I'm teasing you!"

Chiaki-san smiled at her daughter.

"I want you to be happy."

Aika smiled at her mother.

"I love you, Mum..."

BEEP. BEEP.

Chiaki-san began to shake violently.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Aika shouted as she left the room to get help.

* * *

"Aika-chan!" Miwa called her best friend who sat in the waiting room with a blank look on her face.

"Are you okay?" Miwa gently shook Aika's shoulders to get her attention, but she remained quiet.

"Say something, Aika-chan!"

Miwa froze as she felt something wet.

"...Mum...she was coughing...a lot of blood..." Aika murmured as she looked at Miwa.

"I-I..."

Miwa hugged Aika.

"It's going to be okay, Aika-chan...I'm here for you, so be strong...Haruka-chan is depending on you, too."

Aika bit her bottom lip and fought back her tears.

The two girls pulled away from each other when a doctor entered the room.

The man in the white lab coat adjusted his glasses before clearing his throat.

"Sakurai Aika-san?"

"Here," Aika said, standing up.

"I'm sorry, but your mother..."

Aika's legs trembled before she fell to the ground crying.

* * *

"Neh, Fujiko, have you seen Aika-chan recently?" Eiji asked Fuji as they were in the changing room.

"Mmh...no, why?" Fuji inquired as he placed his sports bag down.

Eiji frowned.

"She hasn't been to school for two weeks now..."

Fuji's eyes opened.

"What?"

Although the three were originally in the same homeroom, Aika had been moved to class 3-1. She still had English with Eiji though.

Eiji nodded to himself.

"She was here about two weeks ago...I saw her talking with her homeroom teacher...She hasn't been back since," Eiji told Fuji whose eyes widened.

* * *

Haruka tugged Yukio's sleeves.

"Where's Mommy?" Haruka asked the tall man who her mother called Uncle.

Yukio looked at the toddler before patting her on the head.

"Your mother is busy," He simply said.

Haruka frowned.

"I wanna see Mommy and Gramma!" Haruka wailed loudly.

Yukio's wife Sara took the little girl and began to pat her back to soothe her.

Since Chiaki-san's passing, Yukio and his wife came to stay with Aika and Haruka while their own two children were left with Sara's parents.

"Aika-chan, you have to pull yourself together!" Miwa urged her best friend.

Aika continued to remain unresponsive.

"You're sad, I get it...but you have to move on!"

Aika's eyes began to tear up.

"Mum..."

"Aika-chan, listen to me!" Miwa gripped her shoulders and shook her.

"Honey, I'm going to take Haruka-chan to the park, okay?" Sara asked her husband who merely nodded.

"Is my mama okay?" Haruka asked Sara cutely.

Sara smiled sadly.

"Yes," She lied.

At the park, Sara sat down on a bench and watched Haruka play on the kid's playground.

When other women came to the park, they began to gossip and chat, momentarily forgetting their children.

Haruka wandered off toward a different area curiously.

"Eh...Syuu-chan!" Haruka called out as she noticed him with a younger boy with short brown hair.

"Haruka-chan?"

Fuji bent down and picked her up.

"Hi!" Haruka greeted him again before pecking his cheek.

She grinned cheekily.

Fuji chuckled.

"Where's your mommy?" He asked her, thinking about how Eiji said Aika was not at school for a while.

Haruka frowned.

"Gramma went away...so mommy busy...she's sad, I can tell..." Haruka replied as she thought about the sad look on her mommy's face.

"Eh...Chiaki-san went away?"

Haruka nodded.

"Mommy and Uncle put Gramma away two weeks ago," Haruka said as she looked at Fuji.

"I see...so where's your mommy right now?" He asked again.

"Home."


	11. Chapter 11

***I do not own Prince of Tennis***

Recap: Last time, Chiaki-san passed away. Aika is in depression while Miwa and her uncle are holding things together. Meanwhile...Fuji has come into the picture.

"We're back!" Sara announced from the front door.

Sara and Haruka walked into the living room where Aika and Miwa were sitting together.

"Where's Yukio?" Sara asked Miwa.

"Yukio-san said he'll be back later," Miwa replied as she continued to braid Aika's hair.

"Miwa-chan, come here," Sara said as she gestured outside.

"Eh why?" Miwa asked Sara.

"Someone is here to see Mommy!" Haruka said happily.

Fuji walked into the room.

Miwa's eyes widened at the sight of him.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"He's my Syuu-chan!" Haruka answered as she hugged his leg.

Fuji smiled at the little girl.

"My name is Fuji Syuusuke, and I am Aika-chan's classmate."

Miwa's eyes hardened.

"Really?"

"Yes," Fuji answered solemnly.

"Come, Miwa-chan."

"Fine."

Miwa walked off with Sara but not before glaring at Fuji.

"Haru, you come, too."

"Kay!"

Fuji moved to sit next to Aika.

"Everyone is worried about you, Aika-chan."

Aika merely looked at the ceiling with blank eyes.

Fuji took her hands into his and slowly managed her hands.

_She has such delicate hands..._

"Aika-chan, your mother would be very sad if she saw you right now," Fuji said as he continued to caress her hands gently.

Aika's eyes glinted momentarily.

_Chiaki-san smiled._

_"I'm glad you finally made a friend your age."_

_Aika frowned._

_"You think I can't get friends?"_

_"Ha ha! I'm teasing you!"_

_Chiaki-san smiled at her daughter._

_"I want you to be happy."_

_Aika smiled at her mother._

_"I love you, Mum..."_

"She..." Aika whispered softly. "...can't be sad..."

"Eh?"

"Mum...is gone," Aika breathed out. "She's gone..."

Fuji's eyes softened.

"Sakurai-san is finally free from her pain. She is no longer hurt," Fuji said as he reached for Aika. He took her face into his hands and turned it toward him. "If she were still here, she would not want to see you like this."

"I-I..."

Aika's bottom lip trembled as she struggled to maintain eye contact with Fuji whose blue orbs stared at her with unwavering loyalty.

"Shhh..." Fuji silenced her with his whisper. "You need to move on. You _must_. Your daughter is depending on you. Every day, she asks people if you are going to be okay. She needs you more than ever."

"B-But...I need Mum, too!" Aika confessed as her sobs returned full force. She covered her face with her hands and began to cry. "Two years ago...I had no one..Mum was the only person on my side! She was always there for me! I...I don't know what to do without her!"

Fuji embraced her and held her close to him as she sobbed into his chest.

"Then you must make your own path from now on...Sakurai-san is gone, but she will always be a part of you..."

Fuji continued to pat her back as she cried on him.

"I will be here for you, too."

At the furthest corner of the room by the kitchen's entrance, Miwa stood there with her arms across her chest.

_I'm glad you finally have someone to protect you, Aika-chan, _Miwa thought as she walked away.

* * *

_"Mum, I promise not to cry anymore...Fuji-kun is right. I need to move on for me, you, and Haru. I can't be weak like this...Two years ago, all I did was cry...Now, I have to be strong." _

"Hey! Did you see Fuji-kun this morning?"

"No, why?"

"Fuji-kun walked into school with class 3-1's Sakurai Aika-san!"

"Ehhhhh! No way!"

"Are they an item?"

"I dunno..."

"They _do_ match each other well."

Eiji and Oishi looked outside the window to where Fuji and Aika were.

"Ehhhhh...I wonder if Fujiko and Aika-chan are dating," Eiji mused as he continued to stare at them.

"That's a high possibility," Inui said, popping out of nowhere.

"Now, now Inui and Eiji, let's not jump to conclusions," Oishi said as he gestured with his arms.

"Oishi!" Eiji whined. "I wanna know!"

"You want to know what?" Tezuka asked Eiji.

"Uhhh...nothing," Oishi answered awkwardly.

* * *

_o-o-o-o-o_

_Seigaku Tennis Club_

_o-o-o-o-o_

"Fujiko! Are you and Aika-chan together?" Eiji asked the closed eye prodigy who merely smiled at the question.

"Saaa...who knows?" Fuji mused playfully before walking into the changing room.

"Mou, I wanna know!" Eiji complained.

At the same time, Tomoka and Sakuno were asking Aika the same thing.

Aika chuckled.

"He's my precious friend," She said with a gentle smile.

"Waaaah..." Tomoka squealed as she tugged on Sakuno's sleeves.

"What, what?"

"Aika-chan's definitely in love!"

"Umm...I don't know. Are you sure, Tomo-chan?"

"Positive!"

* * *

"Oi! Where's Niou?" Sanada demanded as he finished barking orders at the first years.

"Hmm...there's a 100% probability that he is sleeping somewhere on the rooftop," Yanagi stated as he flipped through his small black notebook.

"Yagyuu," Sanada said as he stared at Niou's doubles partner and best friend.

"I will go look for him," The gentleman said before he walked off.

Meanwhile, Niou was indeed on the rooftop sleeping.

_o-o-o-o-o_

_Two Years Ago_

_o-o-o-o-o_

_"Haru, you're so silly!" Aika giggled at the white haired boy who sat beside her. _

_Niou grinned lazily at her. _

_"You're just too smart, Aika," He retorted playfully. _

_"Okay, okay! Next one!" Niou said as he laid down on the soft carpet floor. _

_"Hai! Heian-kyo!" _

_"Hmm..." Niou mused as he thought about how to approach this specific topic. _

_Aika blinked. _

_"Well?" _

_Niou blinked, too, before the two preteens broke out into laughter. _

_Later, they were draped on Niou's bed with Aika laying on Niou's chest as he caressed her hair softly. _

_"A lawyer? Really?" Aika asked Niou as she nuzzled his neck. _

_"Yeah...does it seem that weird?" Niou asked as he stopped playing with her hair and decided to rest. _

_"Yup!" Aika grinned. _

_"What about you?" _

_"Mm...I don't know, but I want to be able to help people." _

_Niou chuckled. _

_"That sounds just like you." _

"Mm...Ai...ka..." Niou muttered in his sleep as Yagyuu approached him.

Yagyuu frowned before waking up his partner.

"Niou-kun, Sanada-fukubuchou is looking for you. Come."

Niou sighed, weaving a hand through his hair before getting up.

"Hai, hai, Yagyuu..."

_Recently, I have been thinking of that girl again, _Niou thought as he walked beside Yagyuu toward the tennis courts. _This is all started that day after school with Terumi...damn it..._

* * *

**Niou is finally back in the picture!**


	12. Chapter 12

***I do not own Prince of Tennis***

_The day we met _

_Frozen, I held my breath_

_Right from the start, I knew that I had found the home for my heart_

_Colors coming from everywhere_

_How can I be brave?_

_How can I love when I am afraid? _

_Suddenly, my doubts go away somehow_

"Fuji-kun, you don't have to walk me home, you know?" Aika told the smiling tennis prodigy who carried her school bag with one arm while the other carried his sports bag.

"Iie," He said as he smiled at her. "I have to make sure you're home safe. Besides, I want to see Haruka."

"Ha ha...okay," Aika said as they continued walking toward her house.

"How was tennis practice today?" Aika inquired politely.

"Hmm...it was good. There was nothing different today," Fuji answered as his gaze was focused on the setting sun.

"Ah, that's good. Tomoka-chan and Sakuno-chan told me that you guys are going to get busy soon with the Kanto Tournament."

"Hai...after all, Tezuka's goal is to get to Nationals," Fuji said seriously.

Aika giggled.

"I bet."

When the two reached Aika's house, they were immediately tackled by Haruka while the babysitter stood on the side and watched their interaction from a distance.

"Mommy, I missed you!" Haruka exclaimed happily as she nuzzled her face into her mother's chest.

Aika chuckled.

"I missed you, too."

"Saaa...what about me, Haruka?" Fuji said playfully.

Haruka's eyes lit up and she jumped into Fuji's arms.

"Syuu-chan!"

"Ha ha! Now, Haru, don't hug him so tight!" Aika laughed as Fuji chuckled.

"It's alright...I don't mind."

"Syuu-chan...I wanna play!" Haruka pouted as her mother pulled her away from Fuji.

"Maaa...it's late...maybe another time," Fuji offered as he handed Aika her school bag.

Haruka puffed her cheeks.

Aika chuckled at her daughter.

"Alright...be safe then, Fuji-kun."

Fuji smiled.

"I always am."

* * *

"In order to solve for integral, it is necessary to utilize u-substitution and integration by parts. Since this specific problem does not have any flexibility to use other methods, the two methods I said first are the best way to go about this problem..." Aika said as she stood in the front of the class while pointing to the problem on the board.

She solved the problem and circled the answer before sitting down in her seat.

Aika sighed.

_Just a little more, _she thought.

During lunchtime, Fuji and Aika sat on the rooftop together.

"Would you like to come with me after school to pick up Haruka?" Aika asked Fuji as she flipped through her math textbook.

"Ah, sure. I have tennis practice till 4. Is that fine?" Fuji said as he scanned through his camera.

"Of course," Aika smiled brightly.

"Okay."

Meanwhile, the rest of the tennis regulars were huddled up on the side of the building spying on Aika and Fuji.

"Neh, neh...did you hear that?" Eiji whispered to his teammates.

"Aika-chan and Fujiko are going somewhere together!" He gasped.

"So it's true then! They are together!" Momo exclaimed before Ryoma slapped his hand over his mouth.

"Baka!" Kaidoh admonished Momo who glared at him.

"Oh no! What if they have sex...or, or...he breaks her heart or she breaks his!" Oishi freaked out.

"This is a good chance to gather data on Fuji," Inui muttered as his glasses glinted.

"What are you all doing here?" Tezuka asked as he stared at his teammates.

Silence filled the air.

In the far off distance, a crow cawed.

You could hear the _caw caw _as Tezuka waited for his teammates to answer.

"Err..."

* * *

"Fujiko!" Eiji cornered his smiling teammate.

"Are you and Aika-chan together?" Eiji asked directly.

"Saaa...who knows?" Fuji said pleasantly.

"Maybe," He said to tease Eiji who wailed _Fujiko_.

"Fuji-sempai! Tell us!" Momo added.

Fuji merely smiled.

"Mada mada dane," Ryoma said, tugging his cap.

"Everyone, calm down," Oishi said as he stood next to a serious Tezuka.

"Listen up!" Tezuka said sternly.

Everyone got quiet and waited for his orders.

"For the first round of the Kanto Tournament, our opponent will be..."

Anticipation filled the regulars.

"Hyotei Gakuen."

"Hyotei?" Eiji repeated.

Oishi nodded.

"Hmm...Hyotei Gakuen...its headmaster is Sakuji Teruzane...there are 1652 students in the school..." Inui said as he flipped through his notebook. "The coach is Sakaki Taro...the captain of the tennis club is Atobe Keigo..."

Fuji's eyes glinted before he looked at Tezuka who glanced back at him.

"Alright! Go back to practice!"

When practice ended, Fuji changed and walked to the front gates where Aika was waiting for him. They walked together toward the daycare center with Eiji, Oishi, Inui, Momo, Kaidoh, and Ryoma following them.

"How was practice today?"

"It was alright. Our opponent in the Kanto Tournament will be Hyotei."

"Hyotei? The school with that flashy captain?"

Fuji chuckled.

"Yes."

Aika made a disgusted face.

"He's a diva in male form."

"Saaa...maybe."

"I hate it when you say that," Aika said with a pout.

Fuji chuckled at her.

"Only for you."

"Idiot."

The two laughed together heartily.

"They're getting along quite well," Momo said as he and his teammates hid in some bushes.

"Hmm...good data," Inui said, scribbling into his notebook.

"Hurry! They're moving!"

At the daycare center, Haruka jumped up in excitement when she saw her mommy and Fuji.

"Mommy! Syuu-chan!" She cried out happily.

"Haruka!" Aika shouted back.

The little girl embraced her mother and squealed as Fuji took her and spun her in the air gently.

"Syuu-chan~" Haruka crooned excitedly.

On the side, Aika laughed at the two.

"Neh, for the game with Hyotei, do you want to come and watch?" Fuji asked Aika.

"Hmm...maybe," Aika said, sticking her tongue at Fuji who opened his eyes.

"Ha ha..." Aika said, pointing at the priceless expression on his face.

In the bushes, Eiji and Oishi froze when they saw the little girl.

"Eh! Why are there two Aika-chans?" Eiji asked his partner.

"No...I don't think that was Aika-chan...it's another person," Oishi said as he took in the scene before them.

Ryoma's eyes flashed and his mind went back to the day he saw her and her friend talking.

"Oishi is right...hmm...brown hair and blue eyes...interesting..." Inui said as he scanned the young toddler.

"Wait..." Kaidoh said slowly.

"Does that mean...Fuji-sempai...and Aika-chan...have a secret child together?" Momo gasped.

All of them gasped together.

_No way!_

* * *

**The Seigaku regulars are funny, aren't they? **


	13. Chapter 13

***I do not own Prince of Tennis***

Last time on _Baby Love_:

In the bushes, Eiji and Oishi froze when they saw the little girl.

"Eh! Why are there two Aika-chans?" Eiji asked his partner.

"No...I don't think that was Aika-chan...it's another person," Oishi said as he took in the scene before them.

Ryoma's eyes flashed and his mind went back to the day he saw her and her friend talking.

"Oishi is right...hmm...brown hair and blue eyes...interesting..." Inui said as he scanned the young toddler.

"Wait..." Kaidoh said slowly.

"Does that mean...Fuji-sempai...and Aika-chan...have a secret child together?" Momo gasped.

All of them gasped together.

_No way!_

* * *

Fuji and Aika-chan had a child together?!

The thought plagued everyone's mind the whole day.

"Fujiko and Aika-chan had a mini Aika-chan!" Eiji gasped aloud as he twisted back and forth like a writhing snake.

Oishi shook his head.

"I can't believe Fuji had a child! How...inappropriate!" Oishi remarked with a finger on his chin.

"Fuji-sempai had a child...Fuji-sempai had a child..." Momo whispered to himself in disbelief while Kaidoh tsk'ed.

"Inui-sempai, it's impossible, right?" Kaidoh asked the data tennis player who was flipping through his notebook.

Inui slowly looked at everyone.

Everyone looked at him.

This was the moment of truth.

"It is...75% that Fuji fathered the child..according to biology and genetics," Inui said, adjusting his glasses carefully.

"Eh! No way!" Oishi exclaimed in shock.

"Iie," Inui said simply. "Aika possess brown hair and violet eyes. Fuji also has brown hair, but he has blue eyes. The child has brown hair like both subjects...and blue eyes...like Fuji."

"Iiyah! It must be true!" Eiji said with his hands cupping his face in shock.

Ryoma simply watched the events unfold with bored eyes.

"Mada mada."

Everyone simply ignored him and continued fussing.

"Erm...hello?"

They stopped bickering and looked at the person who said hello.

Speak of the devil and she shall appear!"

"AIKA-CHAN!" Eiji said as he jumped over to her.

"Where's Fujiko?" He asked her.

Aika blinked.

"Ah. Fuji-kun went to the photography room."

"I see," Oishi said as he chuckled nervously. He hoped Eiji did not ask her anything funny.

"Neh, neh, Aika-chan?" Eiji poked her.

"Hai?"

"Do you like Fujiko?"

Oishi choked on the water he was drinking while everyone else stared wide-eyed at Kikumaru.

Aika blinked and smiled.

"Of course! I like Fuji-kun like how I like you, Oishi-kun, Tezuka-kun, Inui-kun, and the rest of my friends," Aika answered honestly with a sweet smile on her face.

Momo fell to the ground, twitching.

_Aika-sempai is so dense._

What a sad moment...

"By the way, Fuji-kun told me about the game with Hyotei. Good luck."

"Ah, thanks."

"Ha ha...of course. Well, I gotta go now. Bye!"

* * *

"I am going to pick Haruka up, okay?"

"Ah, okay. Be safe."

"Always," Aika smiled at Fuji who smiled back.

"Okay, bye!"

Aika walked off and left Fuji at the front gates.

"Fujiko!" Eiji ran over to Fuji. "Are you really gonna let her go alone?"

"Hmm?"

"Yeah, Fuji-sempai! It's dangerous for a girl to be alone!" Momo added.

Fuji stared quizzically at his teammates.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" He asked with a devilish - err, angelic smile.

Eiji and Momo twitched uncomfortably.

"Iie!"

"No-o.."

Fuji smiled wider.

"Good."

He walked off with the two trailing after him.

* * *

_Sometimes I like to think that fate was steering me toward something great. I always want to believe in the best...that's too much hope in one thing, I suppose..._

**From: Sakurai Aika**

**I will be waiting for you at the park with Haru. :)**

**To: Fuji Syuusuke**

Fuji smiled before he messaged her back.

**To: Sakurai Aika**

**Okay. See you soon.**

**From: Fuji Syuusuke**

Aika smiled when she received Fuji's response. She turned to Haruka.

"Haru, Syuu-chan will be here soon."

Haruka grinned at her mommy.

"Hai!"

"Fujikoooo..." Eiji whined as he followed Fuji.

"Hmm?"

"I wanna know..."

"You want to know what?"

"What's your relationship with Aika-sempai?" Momo butted in.

"Momo?"

"Fuji-sempai, I want to know!" Momo said.

Fuji frowned.

"Mm...I'm afraid I can't tell you."

"Eh?!"

"Why?"

Fuji smiled mysteriously before he leaned in toward Eiji and Momo.

"Because I said so," He breathed into their ear before walking off.

Everyone left there stood looking flabbergasted.

What...the hell?

"FUJIKO!" _What the hell kinda answer was that supposed to be? _

Ryoma shook his head.

Mada mada dane.

* * *

**Hello! Thank you to all the readers who take time time to read and review and F/F. This chapter was the shortest yet! You guys deserved a chapter so I dished this one out. The next one will be longer. Stay tuned!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Corner:**

**OMG! I have not updated in awhile. University life has transformed me into a workaholic. Today, I felt some inspiration, so please enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

Class was so boring.

Aika sighed as she wrote down a grocery list in her daily planner.

**Milk. Carrots. Apple sauce. Rice. Bread. Grape jam. Sugar. Coffee. **

_Hmm...what else? _

"Ne, ne...Aika-chan?"

Aika looked up and tilted her head to the side.

"Yes?" She asked questioningly as her right hand spun the mechanical pencil around in a small circle.

"Are you and Fuji-kun dating?" The girl asked Aika bluntly.

Aika paused and blinked at the girl while the rest of the girls sitting with them stared at her, waiting for her reaction.

**"Ha ha ha!" **

The girls stared at Aika like she was insane as she began to laugh furiously. Tears formed and threatened to fall from her violet eyes.

"That is **rich**!" Aika remarked as she wiped away a tear.

"Is that a yes or no?" The girl who asked her the question prodded her.

Aika eyed her for a few seconds before smiling.

**(Does that smiling remind you of Fuji or what?)**

"That's for me to know...and for you to figure out."

She stood up and walked to the door with three girls.

"Have a good day, Minase-san."

Minase-san, a dark haired girl with brown hairs, huffed before she stomped to her desk and sat down.

"Mou...I **almost **had her, too!" She frowned. _Kikumaru-kun would have gone on a lunch date with me, too..._

_"MOU~!"_

Minase-san flailed her arms in the air wildly before slamming her face gently onto her desk. She could not afford to damage her precious face, of course. She needed to look pretty for Kikumaru-kun, after all.

* * *

"Fuji, are you dating Sakurai Aika from class 3-1?"

Fuji's closed eyes opened.

"Hmm? Why the sudden interest?" He asked in his usual melodic voice with a strange glint in his eyes.

The boy who asked Fuji chuckled nervously, scratching his head awkwardly.

"My cousin...uhh...sorta has a crush on her..." The boy explained to the still smiling tennis prodigy. "I don't wanna...support him...if you are dating her...I don't wanna break up a happy couple, you see?"

Fuji blinked twice.

"Ah...I see..."

"So are you and Sakurai together?"

Fuji smirked.

"_Well_..._you see_..."

Less than five minutes later, the boy pushed himself away from Fuji and stared at him wide-eyed.

"Sorry, Fuji!" He rushed out of the room in a hurry, startling the rest of Fuji's classmates, including Eiji.

Eiji leaned in toward Fuji.

"Ne, Fujiko...what was that all about?" The redhead asked his friend curiously.

Fuji smiled pleasantly.

"Oh...nothing."

Eiji twitched.

"A-Ah...okay..."

_Earlier this morning at Seishun Gakuen..._

_"Kikumaru-kun, someone said you wanted to meet me!" Minase-san said to Eiji who was shuffling his feet. _

_"Y-Yeah, Minase-san..." Eiji replied as he struggled to meet her gaze. _

_Minase-san blinked. _

_"Kikumaru-kun, are you okay?" _

_Eiji nodded. _

_"I-I...just...there's something I wanna know..."_

_Minase-san grabbed onto his hands. _

_"Tell me!" She pleaded desperately and raised their entwined hands to her chest which was obviously underdeveloped and stuffed with something like socks or cotton. "I will do anything you say, Kikumaru-kun!" _

_Eiji scratched his head. _

_"Err...have you heard the rumors about Fujiko and Aika-chan?" _

_Minase-san nodded her head slowly. _

_"I...I don't know if it's true or not...but I need to confirm...if you can...then...then...I would..." _

_In Minase-san's mind, there was a mini Minase-san who was beginning to dance and spin around. _

_"Yessss! You and I will go on a date!" She squealed before dashing off and leaving a stream of dirt. _

_Eiji blinked. _

_Eh? _

Eiji shrugged. Minase-san wouldn't sell him out, right?

* * *

After school, Fuji and Aika walked together to the daycare center near the park.

"Shall I make wasabi grilled tuna for tonight?" Aika asked Fuji as they strolled almost carelessly down the sidewalk.

"Mm...if I am not imposing, then yes," Fuji replied as he tugged on their bags which he had flung over his shoulders.

"Ha ha...alright then," Aika smiled at Fuji who smiled back at her.

"Mou...what is it with this mood?" Momo complained as he and his teammates hid in the bushes behind the supposed couple.

"Jeez, calm down, Momo," Oishi said to his junior who puffed his cheeks.

Ryoma rolled his eyes.

"Ne, ne...they're leaving...hurry..." Eiji urged them as he stealthily sneaked behind the trees and bushes to spy on Fuji and Aika.

Meanwhile, the two were walking along the grey asphalt.

"Today, Minase-san asked me if we were dating," Aika told Fuji.

"Oh?"

"Yes...she seemed quite adamant on getting an answer out of me," Aika laughed. "It was a bit hilarious, I admit."

Fuji grinned at her.

"Ah."

It was nice how they shared a similar sense of humor.

They eventually reached the daycare center and picked up Haruka who was ecstatic to see her mommy and Syuu-chan.

"Ice cream...supa supa ice cream..." Haruka crooned out as she jumped up and down.

Aika chuckled and picked up her daughter.

"No, honey...we have to go home and make dinner."

Haruka frowned.

"Noooo...I want ice cream~~~..."

Fuji smiled at the toddler.

"Ne, how about we stop by the park and get you your favorite flavor? Strawberries and cream, yes?" Fuji asked the little one nicely.

Haruka smiled brightly at him, similar to how Aika smiled. Fuji internally smiled at the resemblance between the mother and the daughter.

"Kay!"

Aika sighed, shaking her head.

"Fuji, you spoil her too much."

Fuji chuckled.

"Saaa...maybe," He admitted.

* * *

At the park, the three settled down before Fuji and Aika left to buy ice cream. It was safe since the ice cream man was only a few steps away from the bench they put their bags and Haruka on.

In the bushes, the Seigaku regulars minus Tezuka spied on the little family.

Eiji moved closer toward the edge to look at Fuji and Aika until he felt a tug on his leg.

He looked down and jumped.

Then, slowly...he blinked.

Eiji blinked. He blinked again.

Haruka blinked at him in confusion.

"Weird," She said as she pointed at Eiji.

Momo and Ryoma laughed at Eiji who puffed his cheeks in annoyance that his juniors were making fun of him with a toddler.

"Aika-chan?" Eiji asked Haruka who shook her head.

Haruka pointed at herself and said her name.

"Haruka."

"Eh?"

"Aika is mommy," Haruka said as she tilted her head at the redhead onii-chan.

"What about daddy?" Oishi asked the young child who merely shook her head.

"I dunno," Haruka said honestly.

"HARU!"

Speak of the devil, Aika ran over to them and picked up Haruka. She froze when she noticed who it was that her daughter was with. Fuji walked up from behind her and silently regarded his teammates who looked surprised as Haruka called Aika her mother and nuzzled into her neck.

"Is...Is that your daughter, Aika-sempai?" Momo choked out.

Aika bit her bottom lip. She really didn't want anyone to know...It was pointless now to even hide Haruka from the tennis regulars...

Aika glanced at Fuji who shook his head.

Aika sighed.

"Yes, Momo. This is Haruka, my two-year old daughter."

Eiji gasped.

"EH! No way!"

Aika smiled weakly at him .

"It's true."

* * *

**Ne, ne how was it? I hope you guys enjoyed it!**


	15. Drabbles

**Spring, 12 Years Old  
**

"Today when Yoshida-sensei discussed how procreation works, someone fainted in class today," Aika told Niou with a big smile as she chuckled.

Niou grinned.

"Let me guess...it was Nishiki Sayori."

Aika pointed a finger at Niou.

"How did you know?"

Niou winked at her.

"I know everything about you...your day and your schedule," He said teasingly as he inched closer to her.

Aika stuck her tongue at him.

"Stalker."

Niou smirked.

"Only for you, babe."

He leaned in and kissed her lips.

Later, they laid together on his bed as he stroked her her hair soothingly.

"Children, huh..." Niou mused.

"Hm?"

"Ah...nothing."

Aika sat up and poked his side.

"Liar."

Niou grinned lazily.

"You know me so well."

Aika smiled.

"Of course."

"If I ever have kids...I wanna have a daughter," Niou said as he pulled her down onto his chest.

Aika blinked against his chest. Were they not children, as well?

"Aika."

"Hmm?"

"Masaharu."

"Aika...Masaharu..."

"Eh...?"

"Together, it would become...Haruka..."

"Haruka?"

"Ah."

"I like it," Aika smiled at Niou before leaning down to kiss him gently.


End file.
